Scotland's unemployment rate dipped below the UK average in the three months to November though the employment rate fell by 0.2 per cent, official figures show.

The number of Scots out of work fell by 1,000 in the three months to 112,000, meaning the unemployment rate in Scotland was static at 4.0 per cent quarter of quarter and was down 1.0 per cent year on year.

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Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the number of people in work increased by 7,000 in the quarter, taking the total to 2,662,000 and the employment rate to 75 per cent over the year, though the employment rate was down 0.2 percentage points over the quarter.

However the inactivity rate – those who are of working age but are economically inactive - increased by 0.2 percentage points in the three months to 21.7 per cent.

Andy Willox, Scottish policy convenor for the Federation of Small Businesses, said the stable figures "mask" the growing importance of the self-employed north of the Border.

"With more than 300,000 Scots now self-employed, policymakers must shift their approach to back those who work for themselves. In our view, that means ensuring that our social security and childcare systems work for those that have set up on their own."

Figures for the UK as a whole show employment fell by 3,000 in the sale period to 1/44 million people in total, taking the UK-wide unemployment figure to a 40-year low of 4.3 per cent.

However wage growth failed to keep pace with inflation for the ninth consecutive month with wage growth estimated at 2.4 per cent against an inflation rate of 3.1 per cent last November.

Employment UK-wide rose by 102,000 in the three months to November, taking total UK employment to a record 32.2 million.

“Following two successive three-month-on-three-month declines in employment in September and October, data for September to November bucked this trend, delivering a 102,000 rise - the biggest increase since July.

“This took the employment rate to a joint record high of 75.3 per cent.